After that conversation, the rest seem to come with ease. All of it, no matter how personal, or embarrassing, or heartbreaking it was. It was always easier talking to strangers. No matter what your story, they didn't know inside your heart, and their judgments never mattered. You told your story, then walked away.

This wasn't like what he was used to in AA. This time, the stranger shared his blood, and felt like he could look into Elijah's own heart. If there was judgment, Daniel didn't show it for so much as a second.

Not when he spoke of disappearing.

Not when he spoke of his anger issues, or the time he spent in prison.

Not when he spoke of bringing a gun into this town, intending to take his father's life.

He didn't judge when Elijah spoke of how Madeline and he ended the last time, or his decline into madness and self-loathing. He didn't even judge him for stealing another man's fiancé.

Elijah supposed that a man with nine years of sobriety under his belt had his own ups and downs, his own darkness, and his own struggle to let in the light. But he kept those stories to himself, instead just allowing Elijah to pour out his heart while he was still willing.

He talked about what it was like growing up with the Martins, leaving any trace of Harrison out of the story, instead focusing on the good. The only time he mentioned Harrison was regarding never being told the truth about his mother's family, or about his own DNA.

There was his great escape from this small town at eighteen, and his struggles with starting his life over. Elijah opened up about his anger problems and how those problems landed him in jail and prison. He talked about the towns he lived in, the relationships that were over before they began. Then he talked about the pull he felt to move to Charleston. The pull that ended up bringing him closer to Madeline.

That part of his life was bittersweet. Even if he'd only had Madeline for two weeks, those two weeks had been the best he'd had until the moment she called him from the hospital, asking to stay with him. They'd shared meals, watched movies, cuddled on the couch. They'd had incredible conversations, good laughs, and instant chemistry. It was easy to smile through telling the story of that part of his life, even if he knew how that chapter ended before the darker chapter began.

Once he got to the end of the chapter, Elijah's smile faltered as he told the story of the family dinner and the conversation that followed. The only details he skipped were one's personal to Madeline. Those weren't his to tell, and frankly, no one's business but hers. He'd found out she'd showed her father the letter Elijah left for her that alluded to him wanting to be her first. Maybe it did more than allude. Honestly, Elijah felt like he blacked out writing it, and couldn't recall it word for word. But showing her father his words written to her was Madeline's choice.

Then came the chapter after, which lasted a little over two years, and Elijah remained honest about remembering very little. But he told what he remembered. The booze, the destruction, the cocaine, which fortunately he'd still had the good sense to walk away from. He spoke quite of bit of Mitch, as well as Jay, and all the things the two had done for him during that time. Cleaning his apartment, wrapping his wounds, cooking him meals, listening to his screams and his sorrow.

It was during that part of the story that Daniel seemed to absorb just how much he and Mitch had been through together, the true forge of their bond. Before those days, Mitch was his dad. During those days, he'd been his rock and his nuisance. After those days, Elijah saw him as a hero.

He discussed what it was like for him in rehab, and how he learned to open up. He talked about his release, and how he learned to hold firm to his sobriety.

Daniel knew all about this part, having gone to rehab himself. Avoid stress when possible, and learn how to manage that stress when it's inevitable. Manage your time effectively. Practice relaxation techniques. Seek healthy hobbies.

It was easy for him to avoid places and people linked to his alcohol. Elijah had made no friendships through his drinking, usually staying in his own apartment to partake, unless he ran out of alcohol during a time he couldn't purchase it at a store.

Elijah's biggest issue was finding ways of managing his negative emotions. Yes, relaxation techniques helped, but they could only take a person so far. In the end, it was up to him to learn how to love himself, how to stop painting himself as the victim, and how to accept what damage could not be repaired, and put in the work to repair the damage that wasn't too far gone.

Within the first six months of being released from rehab, there were cravings, and still were occasionally. Some could become completely immune to its power, but that was rare, and Elijah was not one of those fortunate souls. But he couldn't expect Jay to keep throwing sober barbecues just to appease him. His addiction was not everyone else's problem, and Elijah had to learn to be around it without falling for its trap.

There were celebrations he'd gone through. The announcement of Jay and Alicia expecting their first child, Elijah earning his GED and his first degree, earning his one year sobriety chip. It was strange how times of joy could often trigger thoughts of what he no longer had.

Rehab taught you how to regain control of your life, how to open up about your struggles with family, friend, and mental health professionals. But in the end, everyone had to put in the work to make it happen for themselves, and Elijah sometimes struggled with that outside the walls of the facility. Still, he pushed on and stepped up.

It was his hobbies and relationships that kept him going until the cravings died down, and 'one day at a time' slowly became one week, then one month.

Elijah spoke all about how Madeline had come to re-enter his life, and how she stayed with him after her release from the hospital. He spoke of their connection, their love, and their friendship persevering after the years they'd been apart.

It was when Elijah spoke of facing down one of the bigger demons in his head that the conversation took a turn Daniel least expected. Confronting his grandfather, only to find out about Harrison's lies. Daniel was aware Elijah only learned of his existence recently, but not why. It was because his answers were somewhere Elijah hadn't dared to go for all these years until he had Madeline back and realized the work on himself wasn't quite over.

He spoke about his conversation with Hank, and the true healing Elijah went through after only an hour with the father of his mom. Then meeting Kevin, and finding out the truth, while also leading him to more family, Elijah knew what to do with.

Because he and Kevin, and he and Jeremy, had an easy connection, he couldn't believe they'd only just come into each other's lives. But there was a love and connection there Elijah couldn't quite explain, even to himself.

That story was a direct link to how Elijah came to look for his father, then the discovery, and within an hour and a half, Daniel was caught up on his life. Cliff notes version for sure, but strange how his entire thirty-four-year existence was summed up in such a short period.

"That's one hell of a life you've lived," Daniel spoke at the end, then scratched his knee before letting out a stretch. "Seriously, I don't think I would have been able to emotionally survive half the crap you went through."

"Some of it I didn't think I would survive," Elijah admitted freely before lighting another cigarette. "It could have gone either way so many damn times."

Daniel did a lopsided nod, then scratched at his light facial hair. "Well, your story gives me one hell of an idea for a family bonding moment."

"And what's that?" Elijah still wouldn't call this man his 'family'. Not yet. He wasn't as closed off to the idea of it as he had been only a few days before, but it still seemed like a title to be earned. Despite liking Jeremy, Kevin, and Hank, and trusting them more than he normally would, given the short period, he still hadn't placed them into those roles in his life. Not yet.

"Well, if your mother's buried here, I would like to finally say goodbye to her. I'd like to have you there with me, just so she can see we've found each other. After that, I think I'd like to see if I can find Harrison's grave."

"To show him we found each other?" Elijah guessed, knowing full well he was wrong.

"Nah, I just want to piss on it."